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Assassins on the Underground
Game 4: Assassin's on the underground. From the journal of Ted Barnes. Which definitely happened. A few days have passed since India, and Ted is fully recovered (though still a little wary about rats). Looking to find a new flat, Ted is reading through the property section of a newspaper when he accidentally drops some change, which forms into a neat circle around one of the properties. Taking the hint Ted arranges to view the property, which is located above a shop on Museum street and owned by a man named Bryce Grimm.Something seems unusual about the man, so Ted scans him to try and see what he can figure out about him. He fails to learn anything useful, but Bryce suddenly laughs at the exact moment Ted attempts the scan and asks "Ted Barnes are you a mage?".Ted admits that he is and Bryce seems to be delighted by this news. He is an awakened being as well, and has been looking for someone appropriate to look after the shop for him in exchange for use of the flat above it. Ted agrees to these terms and as their conversation turns to Ted's concerns about the Diefenbacker Casino and the Timberwolf lodge, Ted hands one of the chips over to Bryce and asks him what he makes of it.After a few moments of examination Bryce tells Ted that this chip is made of Tass (solidified quintessence) and asks about the casino. Ted explains that quintessence was being harvested from the people entering the casino, and elaborates on his fears that something very bad is going to be done with all of the power that is being accumulated. He then goes on to explain that he has shared his concerns with the Akashic's lead by master Hu (whom he fears will not pay much heed to the warnings of an Orphan) and that he even dropped a message in a bottle down into the sewers where he encountered a Nosferatu settlement previously (though he has no way of knowing if they got the message and certainly no intention of finding out by going down there). He also asks Bryce to spread his warning amongst any other members of the magical community that he might know, believing that the best approach is to get as many people as possible concerned about the goings on there.Ted then heads over to his hotel a few miles away to pick up his meagre possessions and move into the flat properly. On his way he is pursued by a suspicious man of middle eastern decent, but manages to lose him in the busy London streets.Ted also stops by Jarvis' lab, but finds that nobody is there. Temporarily confounded, Ted writes a short note (Please investigate this. World probably in danger. -Ted) and wraps it around one of the chips and posts it through Jarvis' letter box. He then heads back towards the shop, getting on the tube to get there quicker.On the train however Ted realises that his pursuer is standing infront of him. Ted attempts to sneak past, but the man notices him and follows immediately. An attempt to turn the crowd into a living barrier (by using entropy to cause a pile up) fails, and the pursuer uses his own magic to leave himself and Ted as the only two people in the station with the lights suddenly failing.Ted is in the habit of fortifying himself with a mental shield every morning, which pays off now as his pursuer attempts to imbue him with feels of terror but is unable to do so. Ted calls on Charlie for assistence and after a false start is able to bring his faithful hound to his side.Charlie leads Ted to his pursuer, and hearing the man preparing a crossbow Ted realises that the man is a Euthanatos and calls out to him.The man is suprised that Ted wants to talk and angrily points out that Ted didn't give his master a chance to talk before he killed him back in India. Ted rebukes the acolyte, pointing out that whilst he's sorry for killing someone important to the man, he didn't have much choice in the matter as his master was about to kill a sixteen year old girl. The acolyte doesn't care about the deaths that his master caused or would have caused however, he just wants revenge on Ted for his loss.Charlie's growls are unnerving the man, and Ted is able to get him to agree to talk face to face if he will dismiss the dog. Charlie reluctantly leaves but remains in the Umbra nearby. The subject of a Euthanatos' attitude to death leads to Ted asking the acolyte if the world itself is supposed to die soon.This unexpected question rocks the acolyte's determination to murder Ted, and he asks the Orphan what he means. Ted shares his fears and concerns about the casino and even offers the acolyte the last of the chips that he stole from there. He invites the acolyte to examine the destiny tied to that chip, and whilst the man cannot determine anything from it he is able to determine that Ted really does believe in the threat that he's outlining. His confidence shaken, the acolyte spares Ted's life for now and runs away to think things over.Ted is more than a little unnerved following this experience and returns to his new flat to calm down.